Fastbacks

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Fastbacks
Fastbacks 2011 - 01B.jpg
The Fastbacks at a 2011 reunion gig. Left to right: Kurt Bloch, Kim Warnick, Mike Musburger (rear), Lulu Gargiulo
Background information
Origin Seattle, Washington, United States
Genres Pop punk
Years active
  • 1979–2002
  • 2011
  • 2018
Labels Sub Pop, PopLlama
Past members

Fastbacks are a Seattle, Washington, punk rock band. Formed in 1979 by songwriter/guitarist Kurt Bloch (born August 28, 1960), and friends Lulu Gargiulo (guitar and vocals, born October 12, 1960) and Kim Warnick (bass and vocals, born April 7, 1959), they disbanded in 2001 but have reunited multiple times. Their sound mixes a generally punk rock approach to vocals and sound textures with poppy tunes and strong musicianship. [1]

Contents

Although these three band members have remained fairly constant, they have gone through numerous drummers, including Duff McKagan, later of Guns N' Roses. MTV's web page on the Fastbacks says that estimates at the number of Fastbacks drummers "range from 12 to 20." [2] For much of the band's heyday, Mike Musburger filled this role, but other Fastbacks drummers before him (or when he took occasional breaks) included Bloch himself, Richard Stuverud (perhaps best known from War Babies, Fifth Angel and his collaborations with Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament, including Three Fish, Tres Mts. and RNDM), Nate Johnson and Rusty Willoughby (both of whom also played in both Flop and Pure Joy), John Moen (of the Dharma Bums, later of Steven Malkmus's Jicks and The Decemberists), Jason Finn (of the Presidents of the United States of America), Dan Peters of Mudhoney, and Tad Hutchison of the Young Fresh Fellows. Several of these people also served at times as drummers in The Squirrels, a similarly long-lived band, and the Fastbacks' sometime label-mates on PopLlama Records, who bring a similar mix of strong musicianship and punk attitude to even poppier material.

Contributing to the band's 2001 breakup was Kim Warnick's move to the band Visqueen in 2001 through 2004. In summer 2010 Kim Warnick started a new band with Mikey Davis (Alien Crime Syndicate, Tommy Stinson) called Cali Giraffes. [3]

The Fastbacks reunited for a one-off live performance 8 July 2011 at the West Seattle Summer Music Festival, featuring the core trio of Bloch, Warnick, and Garguilo, along with Mike Musburger on drums, their first official show together since their 2001 breakup. [4]

They later reunited in September 2018 for a benefit concert, in aid of fellow Seattle musician Andrew McKeag. [5]

Following a series of archival releases, the Fastbacks released the new single "A Quiet Night" in February, 2023. [6]

Discography

Albums

Singles

EPs

Contributed tracks to

Live

Video

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References

  1. ↑ Thompson, Stephen (3 November 1999). "Fastbacks". AV Club. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  2. ↑ Deming, Mark (2004). "The Fastbacks bio". Mtv.com. MTV. Archived from the original on October 22, 2004. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  3. ↑ uncredited (14 January 2013). "These Streets: Kim Warnick". These Streets. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  4. ↑ uncredited. "First West Seattle Summer Fest music news: Fastbacks reunion". West Seattle Blog. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Rose, Andy And Cat (2018-09-16). "There's Something Hard in There: The Fastbacks, The Meices and more: Banding together for a friend in Seattle / Cat Rose photos". There's Something Hard in There. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  6. ↑ https://fastbacks.bandcamp.com/album/a-quiet-night

Further reading

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